Kinton Ramen 4 (North York)

Location: North York, Canada
Address: 5165 Yonge Street
Website: http://www.kintonramen.com
Type of Meal: Dinner


If line-ups aren’t your thing, head to Kinton Ramen’s North York location after 10pm. At the later hour, plenty of tables available but there's still enough people mingling that it doesn’t feel empty.

Kinton’s fourth location offers a combo menu made up of a ramen, side dish and drink. Being a financially savvy person, I had to analyze the pricing to see whether it's actually a deal. My verdict is that although you save money, the savings of a $1 is negligible thus fairly worthless. Strangely, the lack of savings is due to Kinton charging more for the side dish as part of the combo than off their regular menu. Thus, this works to negate savings from adding a drink. In the brackets below, I list the combo and a la carte menu prices as a means of comparison.


I stuck with the pork original ramen ($10.90 for both combo and a la carte menu) as a means of comparing the uptown recipe to their Baldwin outpost (you can read about experience with the later here). Made with a shio (salt) base, I went with ‘regular’ strength as I found the ‘light’ one too watery. It was nice, not too salty or oily and had a light pork flavour coming through. So, it’s worth trying the regular first before you opt for the lighter choice.


The thick noodles were just a springy and the pork shoulder having a smoky quality as I enjoyed in my last visit. There’s also bean sprouts, green onions, a piece of nori and my favourite – the egg. Kinton still gives a full egg and at the North York location it’s even more soft-boiled, just look at the gooey brilliant yellow colour!



During another visit, I tried the spicy garlic ramen ($10.90) which really packs some heat in the broth. Following my friend's advice, I removed the ball of garlic on top and gradually added it into the broth to control how garlicky the broth became. In the end, about a third was enough for my taste.


Accompanying the combo, was a pint of Sapporo ($3.80 for combo vs. $5.80 on the a la carte menu). And this, my friends, is where any of the savings actually occurs.

The gyozas ($4.80 for combo vs. $3.80 on the a la carte menu) were deep fried arriving piping hot. Interestingly, they were topped with a zippy Miracle Whip sauce rather than being accompanied by soy sauce. It’s a nice change, but Kinton should consider listing the sauce on their menu as some people may be put off by the creamy sauce if they were expecting naked dumplings.


I wanted to know more about said sauce, but our waiter was no help: simply noting he didn’t know what was in it. Frankly, for a place where there’s such a limited menu, it’s sad for someone who works there to actually tell a customer they know nothing about the dishes. At the very least, they should offer to check with the chef or someone else who would know what’s being served.

Which brings me to the biggest difference between Kinton’s Baldwin and North York location – the service. Sure, everyone still shouts as you enter/leave, dishes arrive quickly and generally everyone is cheerful and friendly. But, it’s the small things that are not quite as polished.

The first, as already mentioned, is the lack of knowledge of their menu (at least the person who served us that night). Another example, was when soup was spilled as the table was cleared. Our waiter warned us about the spill (that he caused) but then chose to ignore it rather than cleaning it up. Normally, it wouldn’t matter. However, in this case, the soup was dangerously close to the edge of the table and could drip onto my fellow diner. Moreover, since all our napkins were taken away, we couldn’t even clean it up ourselves.

All in all, the slight service slip aside, I was satisfied with the food. Indeed, compared to other options available in the Yonge and Empress area, the ramen is better. Thankfully, the taste and quality is in line with Kinton’s downtown location; the serving size may even be slightly larger. If only their employees were better trained and their combo pricing strategy reevaluated than I’d be even happier.

Overall mark - 7* out of 10

* You may notice that I’ve given Kinton’s Baldwin location a “6” and the North York location a “7”.  The uptown location is by no means better than its downtown location. But, due to the uptown branch being so conveniently located and wait times being less than Downtown, I know I will likely return (thus, rendering the 6 as untrue).

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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Want to Participate in Tin Chef Competition at Mildred's Temple Kitchen?

Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 85 Hanna Avenue (at the Shop at Liberty Village)
Website: http://www.templekitchen.com/mtktinchef/

Do you watch Pressure Cooker or Master Chef and love the excitement of people creating dishes under time constraints and with stipulations? Better yet, do you often think that if you were on the show you'd win? Well, now is your chance to prove it!

As part of the Winterlicious Culinary Events series the Tin Chef Competition is set to happen at Mildred's Temple Kitchen. Five contestants will compete against each other to be crowned the Tin Chef. In just 60 minutes they'll create four portions of a winning dish using the required secret ingredient. But, they do get some help as they can also bring an ingredient from their home to spice up their creation (saffron anyone)?

To win, they will need to impress actual Toronto chefs to bring home the crown and/or last year's contenders to be given the People's Choice Award. If you're interested check out Mildred's website for more instructions on how to apply. But, don't wait too long as applications are due Thursday, January 9th. 
I'll admit, I've always been intrigued about participating (after all, I make decent food). But, who am I kidding, I'd much rather relax and be a spectator instead! So, I'll be attending the event and watching the action as the contestants take on each other. Who knows, perhaps I'll get lucky and the celebrity judges will even save me a taste!

If you want to join me, head over and get a ticket. Together we'll enjoy hor d'oeuvres and food stations throughout the night, drink delicious cocktails from the cash bar and leave with a copy of Donna Dooher's, Chef of Mildred's Temple Kitchen, 'Out to Brunch' cookbook.

Event Details

When: Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Time: Door open at 6:30pm and event starts at 7:00pm
Location: 85 Hanna Avenue
Tickets: $54.89 (includes taxes and service fee) can be purchased here

Hurry, based on the event page there are only 8 tickets remaining! If you're planning to go, let me know as I'd love to meet Gastro World's readers in person!



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    Congee Queen 皇后名粥 (Scarborough)

    Location: Toronto, Canada
    Address: 3850 Sheppard Avenue East (in Agincourt Mall)
    Website: http://www.congeequeen.com/
    Type of Meal: Dinner



    The “wife” restaurant to the Congee Wong chain is the newer and larger Congee Queen. With a menu branching outside the normal Cantonese dishes, it also offers items such as pad thai (if you like the ketchup variety) and pho (never had it myself but the picture looks nothing like the pho I love).

    There’s also a BBQ meat section that churns out dishes that look on point. I’ve tried the BBQ duck with thick vermicelli in soup ($7.25). The noodles (lai fun) are thicker than vermicelli and tastes nothing like it; they’re a non-doughy texture and resists getting soft. The BBQ duck, although well flavoured, was chewy and difficult to bite through. Needless to say, BBQ meats isn’t something I’ll be going back to order.


    Despite their extensive menu, I normally go for the tried and true favourites – congee, rice noodles with beef, Singapore fried vermicelli, stir fried turnip cakes and salt & pepper fried squid. All are great and arrive in huge portions, sure to satisfy crowds.

    If you’re with at least four people, I’d suggest ordering the seafood and chicken with wintermelon super bowl congee ($10.25), a great combination of ingredients. When I go with less people, we stick with the small bowls. Something simple like the sliced beef congee ($5.50) allows you to enjoy the thick smooth congee. The beef, although boiled, has been tenderized so that it resists becoming tough.


    During a recent visit, I felt like something different. After all, with such a wide-ranging menu they must have other items worth a try. With a craving for lobster, the lobster chow mein ($20.95) seemed to be a good choice – crispy noodles topped with a full lobster. Stir fried in the traditional ginger and green onion sauce, the dusting of flour over each piece was a tad thick. But, once you got through it, the lobster itself was nice and tasted fresh. Moreover, the noodles were thin and remained crispy due to the thicker sauce.


    Based on the picture, you likely won’t be able to tell there are a decent number of pieces of soft shell crab in their fried rice ($11.75). But, buried under the mound of well flavoured rice are lightly fried chunks of soft shell crab. Personally, I find that this relatively flavourless crustacean requires more spices or sauce to enhance it so it was a tad bland in the rice. Also, if you’re going to order this, make sure you finish all the crab in the restaurant, while it’s fresh, as it becomes mushy once reheated.


    To round out the meal, a dish of simple but nicely prepared yu choy (a leafy vegetable) stir fried with beef ($10.75). I must commend Congee Queen on preparing their vegetables – they always seem so well trimmed and cooked perfectly.


    If you’re looking for plain vegetables, their gai lan with oyster sauce ($5.95) satisfies and is a reasonable price.


    Congee Wong will always be my go-to carb filled restaurant. But, with more and more locations opening, it’s just so convenient to head to Congee Queen! So, grab a group of people or be prepared to have a lot of leftovers. The price and selection makes it such a great everyday place to visit. 

    Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10

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    ____________________________
    Gastro World's Grading System

    • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
    • - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
    • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
    • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
    • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
    • 10 - absolute perfection!

    Mei Nung Beef Noodle House (Markham)

    Location: Markham, Ontario
    Address: 3225 Highway 7 East (at First Markham Place)
    Type of Meal: Dinner


    It’s been a few years since I’ve visited Mei Nung, but one evening (with the onset of Canadian winter), I craved a bowl of hearty beef noodle soup. Unlike pho and ramen, where the soup often plays star to the dish, the beef and noodles is what counts most here. Sure, the beef broth mixed with spices still matters; but it’s the thick noodles and large chunks of beef that entices me.

    Mei Nung is arguably one of the better beef noodle houses in the GTA. At one point, they were so dedicated to it that there was only a handful of items on their menu. Years later, they have branched out to other noodles but most tables still come for their homemade beef noodle soup ($7.99 for large).

    The menu provides a choice of rice, glass or homemade noodles. Trust me, go with the homemade as these springy doughy thick noodles is what pairs best with the hearty meat. Their beef is well braised leaving it tender and flavourful. With plenty of pieces in every bowl, it will certainly last you until the end. To counteract the starch and meat it’s served with blanched Shanghai bok choy and tart pieces of preserved vegetables (shun choy).


    We also tried the homemade noodle with minced meat sauce in soup ($7.99 for large), which reminded me of ramen but with a lighter beef broth. The noodles are the same thick variety but topped with corn, bean sprouts, bok choy and a star anise spiced ground beef. It’s a lighter dish and worth a try if you’re tired of their star offering.


    Both broths were not spicy. So, if you want to add a kick there are two hot sauces on the table to help spice it up. The first, is the typical red chili variety while the second is a secret concoction of chilies mixed into a paste. Yes, the dark brown container that looks deceivingly like sweet hoisin sauce is a hot sauce. It’s rather thick but is meant to be placed into the soup so that it melts throughout.


    As a warning, the restaurant doesn’t smell pleasant. That’s because Mei Nung also serves deep fried tofu ($7.50), which the menu fails to mention is the stinky variety.

    Luckily, Canada doesn’t allow the traditional brining fermentation method that is used in Asian countries as it can be much worse. My first (and only other experience) with stinky tofu occurred in Hong Kong: I was determined to seek out the elusive street food my parents spoke so fondly about from their childhood. We had no problems locating it as the smell was so strong that it could be smelt from a block away! At that point, little did I know the putrid scent that slightly stung the nostrils was what I was searching for. Sadly, it tasted horrible and with one bite I passed it along to my parents. But, they noted that it wasn’t prepared properly as the piece was much too thick and dense.

    Since that time I haven’t tried it again. Even when I learnt Mei Nung offered a version of it, I refrained from ordering it on account of the terrible Hong Kong experience. So, I don’t know what go into me - perhaps it was knowing that I would write this post and wanting to share an experience with you – but I ordered it.


    It wasn’t that bad. You could certainly smell it but the offending smell didn’t leech into the taste. Since they were smaller pieces, the sweet hoisin sauce that accompanies it ended up being what I tasted most (try adding a hit of the red chili sauce as well). Even so, I wouldn’t want it again. Due to the soaking process, the tofu gets tough; so, there’s a dense dry texture to it. Personally, I’d much rather order the light fluffy, crispy, non-smelly varieties found at congee restaurants.


    Also, the tofu’s portion size is much too big for a table of two (best eaten with a table of four). Since it’s fairly heavy, I only wanted a few pieces. And, in hindsight, we really didn’t need the large sized noodles as there was no way we could finish everything. I guess when you’re craving noodles the stomach sometimes gets the best of you.

    In the end, if you can withstand the slightly offending smell of the restaurant, visit Mei Nung for their noodles. It’s hot, comforting and really sticks to the bones – perfect for battling the winter ahead of us.  

    Overall mark - 8 out of 10

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    ____________________________
    Gastro World's Grading System

    • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
    • - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
    • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
    • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
    • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
    • 10 - absolute perfection!

    The Royal 避風塘小炒 (Toronto)

    Location: Scarborough, Canada
    Address: 3587 Sheppard Avenue East
    Type of Meal: Dinner




    The Royal is the old school style Chinese restaurant with minimal décor, tightly packed tables and brightly lit neon signs proudly showcasing what customers can expect to eat – fresh seafood. At the very least, be thankful they kept their walls white so all the colours don’t become too overwhelming.

    Following the traditional family style restaurants, The Royal also posts bright hand written dishes along the walls. Some of these items are on their menu, with the paper acting to further entice customers, while others added later so are left off the printed menu. Unfortunately, for some dishes we ordered that night it was the later so not all pricing is include below.

    A big bowl of complementary pork bone soup is brought out and served. Having been boiled for hours the broth is flavourful but could be hotter.


    Afterwards, dishes are presented in quick succession. The sweet and sour pork ($8.95) was delicious containing big chunks of juicy pork, fried crispy and encased in a nice strong sauce.


    You really can’t visit this place without having some seafood. Since we had a larger table we ordered their big lobster which was on special for $11.99 a pound; we asked for a smaller one but it was still five pounds. The Royal can prepare it a number of ways – stir fried with green onions & ginger, steamed with garlic or deep fried with chili and salt. We opted for the “bay fung tong” style which is deep fried and then stir fried with a spicy ground beef mixture. All in all, the dish had good flavours and the lobster was plump and sweet.

                                                                                                                                                                       
    With the tomalley, the flavourful gooey mixture found in the lobster’s head, a second dish was made by steaming it with egg. This is great for mixing into steamed rice to give it a silky richness. I only wish there was less ginger as the Chef went a bit overboard with it causing me to have to pick some out before eating.


    The XO-sauce stir fried fish fillet with vegetables ($9.95) appeared to be a popular dish. The fish may have been frozen as I found the texture a tad soft and not the best quality, but the XO flavours was pronounced and had a great heat to it. Tossed with it were crispy snow peas and celery. A decent dish but for the price I’d suggest going with the seafood bird’s nest instead.


    There is more seafood within the bird’s nest ($15.95) - shrimp, squid and scallop. All were in fairly big pieces simply stir fried with more of the customary snow pea and celery. Thankfully, at Royal they still make their bird’s nest with slivers of taro (some restaurants are taking the easy way out and using wonton wrappers instead). But, the taro needs to be shredded thinner as the nest was a tad hard.


    For greens we ordered the baby bok choy with enoki mushrooms ($7.45). In the saucy mixture on top there were also slices of Chinese black mushrooms and grated carrots. In all, it was good but could benefit from more salt.


    Although arriving piping hot, the deep fried pork chop with chili and salt ($8.95) was only average as the spice mixture didn’t stick to the meat. So, the dish became somewhat lackluster unless you made the effort to spoon some of the spices back on.


    Not being a huge fan of the next dish, I skipped with deep fried oyster with green onions in hot pot, but it was happily enjoyed but the rest of the table.


    To end, the complementary dessert. Sometimes you’ll get a sweet red bean soup but during our visit it was a plate of sliced oranges – I guess a boost of vitamin C never hurts in the winter time.


    The Royal isn’t very big; so, if you don’t make a reservation or arrive early expect a queue. During our Sunday dinner there was a fair amount of patrons waiting for a table. However, food comes out quickly and service is friendly and efficient so no one seemed to have waited long.

    In my opinion, it’s by no means the best Chinese restaurant you can go to. So, if you’re going to travel a long distance to eat here save yourself the time and effort. But, it’s a great family friendly location with affordable prices. When in the area, it doesn’t hurt to check it out.

    Overall mark - 7 out of 10

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    ____________________________
    Gastro World's Grading System

    • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
    • - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
    • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
    • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
    • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
    • 10 - absolute perfection!